Blizzard warning issued for parts of North Jersey

A nor’easter bearing down on North Jersey could bring blizzard conditions and up to 15 inches of snow Friday and Saturday — though forecasters warned Thursday that the outlook could worsen if the storm shifts even slightly to the east.

The storm is expected to arrive Friday morning with light snow that will intensify by the evening rush hour, continuing through Saturday morning, said Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of northeastern New Jersey, including eastern Bergen County, and heavy snow and strong wind gusts of up to 45 mph could create whiteout conditions, Pollina said.

Some North Jersey schools districts announced in advance of the storm plans to dismiss students early Friday. There were long lines at many North Jersey gas stations on Thursday night as motorists, their memories of post-Sandy fuel shortages still fresh, angled to get in front of any weather-related disruptions to the fuel supply chain.

Pollina said the storm is expected to bring the first significant snowfall to North Jersey since more than 6 inches fell in Newark on Nov. 7 and 8, a little more than a week after superstorm Sandy. It could be the biggest snowstorm since Dec. 26, 2010, when more than 20 inches of snow fell in some parts of North Jersey.

Pollina said two low-pressure systems are expected to merge off the coast of Maryland and Delaware on Thursday night before tracking to the north and east. Forecasts call for 12 to 15 inches of snow in North Jersey, with the lower totals in southern Bergen and Passaic counties, where rain is expected for part of the afternoon.

But Pollina cautioned that at least one model has the storm moving slightly to the east, drawing more cold air from the ocean. That model, he said, called for 24 inches of snow across North Jersey.

The state’s climatologist, David Robinson, said the storm is projected to form farther to the south than originally expected, which is one reason the forecasted snowfall totals crept upward. On Thursday morning, forecasters called for between 6 and 9 inches of snow. They later predicted the storm would form more to the south and move more to the east.

If the models continue to move in that direction, Robinson said, the storm could reach historic proportions, particularly in New England.

“This has shades of being similar to February 1978, which was epic in southeastern New England,” he said.

That storm brought between 2 and 3 feet of snow and hurricane-force winds to southeastern New England, stranding thousands of cars on highways. Boston had 27 inches of snow and parts of New Jersey had up to 20 inches. Forecasters on Friday were calling for as much as 2 feet of snow in parts of southern New England.

The National Weather Service said driving conditions in North Jersey could become hazardous by Friday evening, and that strong wind gusts could cause downed tree limbs and power failures.

“We’re very concerned about individuals out on the road,” said Tim Morrin, a weather service meteorologist. “We would recommend that, if possible, folks have their driving taken care of by early afternoon on Friday. After 5 p.m., driving will be very dangerous.”

Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan held a conference call with local officials on Thursday afternoon to talk about storm preparations. She said warming stations would be open across the county and shelters would be “ready to go” in the event of power outages.

Pollina, of the National Weather Service, said light snow would begin to fall after 3 a.m. Friday, He said the snow would mix with rain in southern portions of Bergen and Passaic counties during the afternoon but would become all snow by the evening rush hour.

He said between 1 and 2 inches of snow are expected to be on the ground in southern Bergen and Passaic counties by 6 p.m., but northern areas would have 5 inches of snow by then. He said another 4 to 5 inches of snow would fall by 1 a.m. Saturday and an additional 3 to 5 inches would fall by 7 a.m. Another tenth of an inch could fall by the time the snow ends around 1 p.m.

Email: koloff@northjersey.com and norman@northjersey.com

A woman covers up against the cold weather as she waits for a bus in Paterson Thursday.

A nor’easter bearing down on North Jersey could bring blizzard conditions and up to 15 inches of snow Friday and Saturday — though forecasters warned Thursday that the outlook could worsen if the storm shifts even slightly to the east.

The storm is expected to arrive Friday morning with light snow that will intensify by the evening rush hour, continuing through Saturday morning, said Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of northeastern New Jersey, including eastern Bergen County, and heavy snow and strong wind gusts of up to 45 mph could create whiteout conditions, Pollina said.

Some North Jersey schools districts announced in advance of the storm plans to dismiss students early Friday. There were long lines at many North Jersey gas stations on Thursday night as motorists, their memories of post-Sandy fuel shortages still fresh, angled to get in front of any weather-related disruptions to the fuel supply chain.

Pollina said the storm is expected to bring the first significant snowfall to North Jersey since more than 6 inches fell in Newark on Nov. 7 and 8, a little more than a week after superstorm Sandy. It could be the biggest snowstorm since Dec. 26, 2010, when more than 20 inches of snow fell in some parts of North Jersey.

Pollina said two low-pressure systems are expected to merge off the coast of Maryland and Delaware on Thursday night before tracking to the north and east. Forecasts call for 12 to 15 inches of snow in North Jersey, with the lower totals in southern Bergen and Passaic counties, where rain is expected for part of the afternoon.

But Pollina cautioned that at least one model has the storm moving slightly to the east, drawing more cold air from the ocean. That model, he said, called for 24 inches of snow across North Jersey.

The state’s climatologist, David Robinson, said the storm is projected to form farther to the south than originally expected, which is one reason the forecasted snowfall totals crept upward. On Thursday morning, forecasters called for between 6 and 9 inches of snow. They later predicted the storm would form more to the south and move more to the east.

If the models continue to move in that direction, Robinson said, the storm could reach historic proportions, particularly in New England.

“This has shades of being similar to February 1978, which was epic in southeastern New England,” he said.

That storm brought between 2 and 3 feet of snow and hurricane-force winds to southeastern New England, stranding thousands of cars on highways. Boston had 27 inches of snow and parts of New Jersey had up to 20 inches. Forecasters on Friday were calling for as much as 2 feet of snow in parts of southern New England.

The National Weather Service said driving conditions in North Jersey could become hazardous by Friday evening, and that strong wind gusts could cause downed tree limbs and power failures.

“We’re very concerned about individuals out on the road,” said Tim Morrin, a weather service meteorologist. “We would recommend that, if possible, folks have their driving taken care of by early afternoon on Friday. After 5 p.m., driving will be very dangerous.”

Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan held a conference call with local officials on Thursday afternoon to talk about storm preparations. She said warming stations would be open across the county and shelters would be “ready to go” in the event of power outages.

Pollina, of the National Weather Service, said light snow would begin to fall after 3 a.m. Friday, He said the snow would mix with rain in southern portions of Bergen and Passaic counties during the afternoon but would become all snow by the evening rush hour.

He said between 1 and 2 inches of snow are expected to be on the ground in southern Bergen and Passaic counties by 6 p.m., but northern areas would have 5 inches of snow by then. He said another 4 to 5 inches of snow would fall by 1 a.m. Saturday and an additional 3 to 5 inches would fall by 7 a.m. Another tenth of an inch could fall by the time the snow ends around 1 p.m.